Chapter 18
The first to rush over upon hearing that Ariadne had awakened was, unexpectedly, Ian. His sudden appearance was surprising. He wore an expression of genuine concern.
Yet, despite his demeanor, Ariadne felt nothing. Ian didn’t manage to say a single word to her.
That was because Diego and Canin arrived shortly afterward.
“Ari—!”
Diego charged inside, calling her name as if she were a lover. His face showed he was genuinely worried to the point of panic.
The emperor furrowed his brows at Diego’s behavior.
“Diego, didn’t I tell you to maintain your dignity wherever you are?”
His tone was one of exasperation, as if he had just witnessed something unpleasant, which startled everyone. Diego, however, didn’t care.
The two were like water and oil—impossible to reconcile. To the emperor, who valued humility and etiquette as a noble, Diego’s free-spirited disregard for others’ eyes was intolerable. In the emperor’s eyes, Diego was the son who never measured up.
“Oh… Father is here.”
“In public, I told you to call me Your Majesty.”
“Yes, yes, Your Majesty.”
Diego maintained his openly disdainful attitude toward the emperor. Still, since they were in public, he observed at least the minimum decorum and quickly moved toward Ariadne.
“Are you alright, Ari?”
“Ah…”
Ariadne leaned against the headboard, embarrassed. Diego’s exaggerated fuss over such a minor matter made it impossible for her to lift her head. She was about to tell him to stop when another voice intervened.
“You truly have no sense of fear.”
It was Canin this time. Normally expressionless, he now showed a trace of emotion. Though he quickly masked it, Ariadne caught it.
“In the Visen Forest… you did the same… And now again… You don’t have multiple lives.”
Canin spoke reproachfully, yet the concern behind his words made Ariadne chuckle. His serious tone didn’t quite match the words, which made it amusing. She quickly responded to ease the tension.
“And you, Your Highness, lived because of me.”
Canin cleared his throat lightly, as if it were nothing.
“Indeed. You lived thanks to me, yet you speak so much, Your Highness.”
Diego, seeing Canin, couldn’t hide his dislike, muttering a rebuke.
“Hey now, Diego. Show some courtesy.”
It was the emperor who stopped Diego’s words this time.
“Oh… yes. Of course.”
Diego even teased him, showing that he was likely the only one who could act this way toward the emperor. Ariadne, caught in the middle of this, forced an awkward smile.
Ian looked displeased at the appearance of the two men but couldn’t approach Ariadne, respecting her feelings, and kept his distance while observing her condition.
“Your Majesty, the Saint has arrived.”
Just then, matching the awkward timing, Ashley appeared at the emperor’s command, accompanied as always by the count. Ariadne had grown used to seeing her father following Ashley around, seemingly oblivious to her own condition. It no longer bothered her; she even felt a touch of pity.
“You’re here, Father.”
Ariadne greeted them with a deliberate smile. Though Ashley had come at the emperor’s order, her expression was clearly displeased. Ariadne decided to acknowledge her anyway.
“Ashley, it’s been a while. How have you been?”
“….”
Ashley, who must have heard those words, merely glanced at Ariadne, offering no reply, and respectfully acknowledged only the emperor, standing at a distance from the bed. Ariadne tilted her head in confusion—Ashley’s deliberate coldness was far too obvious.
“Ashley.”
Even when called, Ashley didn’t move. Those present felt awkward.
The rumor that Ashley had attempted suicide because of Ariadne was well known, so no one dared intervene. Besides, one was a saint, and the other—Ariadne—was now the savior of the crown prince; who could possibly mediate between them? In the end, the count stepped in.
“Ariadne, Ashley is still not feeling well today. You should understand. My apologies, Your Majesty.”
He acted as if he were Ashley’s spokesperson.
Ariadne, fearless now, retorted.
“Oh my. Even if she’s unwell, this is quite something. With Your Majesty present, behaving so as to reveal your condition to everyone is hardly the conduct of a refined lady, wouldn’t you agree, Father?”
This struck the count silent—Ariadne’s words hit home, echoing his constant admonitions to her about concealing emotions and behaving like a proper lady.
“And isn’t it odd that her health remains poor? Surely the Saint’s healing power can’t fail to affect herself first. If she were to recover, she should already be better…”
Ariadne’s words were spoken with genuine concern. Everyone, including the emperor, was surprised. She murmured further.
“The saintly, or rather, healing power, should first affect the user. She would have healed by now…”
“Ariad—!”
The count hurriedly cut her off. The cheerful atmosphere moments ago had frozen completely. The emperor felt uneasy.
He couldn’t decide whether to send Ashley, the Saint who could heal him, or Ariadne, who must go for Canin’s request. Both were valuable. Ultimately, he resolved to mediate himself.
“Good grief. Sisters at odds like this…”
“My apologies, Your Majesty. It’s my own failings…”
“Enough. The count’s apology is accepted. You two need to resolve this yourselves.”
The emperor laughed lightly and stepped forward.
“Gentlemen, step aside for now. Saint, come here.”
The emperor seated Ian, Diego, and Canin at a distant sofa and called Ashley over.
“You’ve been summoned.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. As you command.”
Ashley approached with a stern expression. However, her pallor indicated that her poor health was not entirely an excuse; she truly lacked vitality.
‘It must be because her healing power hasn’t returned,’ Ariadne thought, assessing Ashley’s condition with a faint smile.
“Today, use your healing power for Ariadne, not me.”
Ashley’s expression stiffened further at the emperor’s command. He had assumed she would comply willingly. Ariadne nearly laughed at how openly Ashley’s emotions betrayed her.
Unable to hide her feelings, Ashley’s discomfort was painfully clear. Ariadne suspected that Ashley might already know she had lost her healing power and had orchestrated some scheme, which made the idea of the bard frightening to her.
The emperor slowly turned to Ariadne.
“Hmm, I’d like to understand why the Saint dislikes her sister so much…”
It seemed the emperor had hoped to win Ashley’s favor and mediate between the sisters with the help of the bard, but he clearly didn’t realize he was making a misstep. He assumed Ashley’s healing power was intact, hence summoning the bard.
“What exactly was her request?”
“Why did she go so far as to attempt suicide?”
The emperor’s blunt question silenced the room.
